1. Field
This invention relates to apparatus for storing and dispensing articles. More particularly, the invention is directed to apparatus for dispensing articles capable of rolling displacement under the force of gravity when placed on an inclined surface.
2. State of the Art
Many marketing, distribution or manufacturing activities involve the storage of articles and the subsequent provision of those articles on an individual basis. Further, many articles, such as certain types of beverages, e.g., beer, require rotation in order to maintain freshness and avoid the complications which may arise from settling.
Many attempts have been made previously to provide apparatus for storing a quantity of an article, e.g. bottled or can beverage, rotating the article during storage, and subsequently retrieving those articles one at a time. Representative of these attempts is the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 2,496,304 (Muffly) which describes a storage system constituted by a vertical array of inclined chutes oriented to define a circuitous and sinuous pathway. A conveyor chain is fitted with a plurality of cup-shaped members at spaced intervals along the length of the chain. The chain being trained over a pair of toothed gear drums is adapted for retrieving bottles on an individual basis from the storage racks and subsequently raising them to an unloading platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,446,381 (Dent) discloses a linkage fitted handle and an elevator mechanism adapted to receive and transfer a bottle from a platform retained row of bottles.
A piston-like retrieval system adapted for retrieving a single cartridge from a storage bin containing a quantity of such cartridges is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,322 (Gilbertson).
Mechanisms of other types representative of the state of the art are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,106,601 (Bailey), U.S. Pat. No. 2,296,154 (Elliott) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,238,725 (Fry).